The book: Barbie is the protagonist, a Chester's Mill outsider who has a pre-novel-sta... Show More »

Played by: Mike Vogel

The book: Barbie is the protagonist, a Chester's Mill outsider who has a pre-novel-starting-point history with Junior Rennie and his cohorts, after Angie makes a pass at him and he turns her down, so she tells Junior and his friends that Barbie attacked her and they go after Barbie for revenge.

Once the dome is down, Big Jim takes great pains to make sure Barbie is blamed for a lot of bad stuff that happens once the dome comes down.

The show: Barbie does have a military background, like the book, though it seems as though he's brand-new to town -- Julia doesn't know who he is -- and it doesn't seem like he works at Rose's diner.

Further, we see him burying Julia's husband in the opening frames, which is a mystery the show will explore all season. Did Barbie kill him? We don't know, but he seemed to be having a rather heated phone conversation about someone named "Smith" when the dome descended. Was he talking about Peter Shumway? « Less

3/24

Phil Bushey:

Played by: Nicholas Strong

The book: Phil goes by "Chef" and is the strung-out meth cook (and meth smoker) who hides out at the Chris... Show More »

Played by: Nicholas Strong

The book: Phil goes by "Chef" and is the strung-out meth cook (and meth smoker) who hides out at the Christian radio station and has mostly forgotten about wife Sammy and baby Little Walter.

The show: Phil appears to be a huge departure from the book -- we don't think he's a strung-out meth-head, for one. He also has a brother-sister relationship with Dodee, who works at the radio station with him. « Less

4/24

Alice Calvert:

Played by: Samantha Mathis

The book: Norrie Calvert's mom is named Joanie in the book and she works with the faction against B... Show More »

Played by: Samantha Mathis

The book: Norrie Calvert's mom is named Joanie in the book and she works with the faction against Big Jim, but she's not a major character. The name "Alice" may be a nod to the character of Alice Appleton, a little girl in the book who we don't believe is in the show.

The show: Alice Calvert and partner Carolyn are in town taking daughter Norrie to a camp for troubled teens. They are from the Los Angeles area, where Alice is a psychiatrist. « Less

5/24

Norrie Calvert-Hill:

Played by: Mackenzie Lintz

The book: Norrie is a Chester's Mill resident who Joe and Benny both think is pretty much awe... Show More »

Played by: Mackenzie Lintz

The book: Norrie is a Chester's Mill resident who Joe and Benny both think is pretty much awesome. She helps figure out where the dome came from.

The show: Norrie is an out-of-towner, in Chester's Mill just to get gas and something to eat on her way to juvie camp with her moms. « Less

6/24

Rev. Lester Coggins:

Played by: Ned Bellamy

The book: The good reverend is helping make and distribute meth for Big Jim Rennie. He eventually thin... Show More »

Played by: Ned Bellamy

The book: The good reverend is helping make and distribute meth for Big Jim Rennie. He eventually thinks God is talking to him and wants to come clean about the drugs and Rennie kills him.

The show: Coggins and Rennie are definitely in the meth-making business, with Coggins sampling from the wares. He also appears to be the town funeral director. « Less

7/24

Freddy Denton:

Played by: Joe Knezevich

The book: Freddy is one of the unqualified townsfolk given a gun and a badge in the wake of needing to kee... Show More »

Played by: Joe Knezevich

The book: Freddy is one of the unqualified townsfolk given a gun and a badge in the wake of needing to keep law and order after the dome comes down. He is responsible for shooting Piper Libby's dog and Carolyn Sturges at the town hall meeting.

The show: On the show, Freddy seems like a good guy. He's Rusty's brother and Linda's friend on the force. Unfortunately, he is killed by a stray bullet when Paul Randolph loses his mind and starts shooting at the dome. « Less

8/24

Rusty Denton:

Played by: Josh Carter

The book: Rusty Everett is a physician's assistant who becomes the de facto town doctor after the dome d... Show More »

Played by: Josh Carter

The book: Rusty Everett is a physician's assistant who becomes the de facto town doctor after the dome descends and the main town doctor dies of a heart attack. He and Deputy Linda are married with two children.

The show: Big changes here -- no town doctor, fireman. Outside the dome, not in. It's a shame, too, because Rusty is a great character in the book. His brother, Freddy Denton, is a police officer inside the dome on the show, which is a change from the Freddy Denton in the book. « Less

9/24

Ollie Dinsmore:

Played by: Leon Rippy

The book: Ollie in the book is a young boy who lives on the farm near the opening plane crash, along with hi... Show More »

Played by: Leon Rippy

The book: Ollie in the book is a young boy who lives on the farm near the opening plane crash, along with his parents and younger brother Rory.

The show: Ollie lives on a farm, but he's the owner on the show. And also the owner of the only working Artesian well in Chester's Mill. « Less

10/24

Benny Drake:

Played by: John Elvis

The book: Benny Drake is Joe McClatchey's best friend who, along with Norrie Calvert, help figure out wher... Show More »

Played by: John Elvis

The book: Benny Drake is Joe McClatchey's best friend who, along with Norrie Calvert, help figure out where the dome came from.

The show: Benny isn't heavily featured yet, but his friendship with Joe is established. « Less

11/24

Deputy Linda Esquival:

Played by: Natalie Martinez

The book: Linda Everett is married to town physician's assistant Rusty Everett and has two... Show More »

Played by: Natalie Martinez

The book: Linda Everett is married to town physician's assistant Rusty Everett and has two little girls. She works against the Big Jim Rennie faction.

The show: Linda and Rusty are only engaged, so we're assuming they don't have the two little girls. Also, Rusty is trapped outside the dome instead of inside. Interestingly, Rusty's brother Freddy Denton is inside the dome and on the police force with Linda (though not for long). He's a different character, though same name and occupation, as in the book. « Less

12/24

Andrea Grinnell:

Played by: Dale Raoul

The book: Andrea is the third selectman of the town, operating under a haze of painkiller addiction for muc... Show More »

Played by: Dale Raoul

The book: Andrea is the third selectman of the town, operating under a haze of painkiller addiction for much of the book, before getting herself clean and trying to make a stand against Big Jim.

The show: We don't yet know how Andrea fits into the Chester's Mill of the series, but since she does resemble actress Beth Broderick, we're assuming Andrea and Rose are still sisters. It doesn't sound like she's a councilwoman on the show. « Less

13/24

Carolyn Hill:

Played by: Aisha Hinds

The book: Carolyn Sturges is the young lover of Professor Thurston Marshall and mom-figure to the dome-orphan... Show More »

Played by: Aisha Hinds

The book: Carolyn Sturges is the young lover of Professor Thurston Marshall and mom-figure to the dome-orphaned Alice and Aiden Appleton.

The show: This Carolyn is completely different. She's an L.A.-based attorney who is in Chester's Mill with her partner, Alice Calvert, as they take daughter Norrie to a camp for juvenile delinquents. « Less

14/24

Angie McAlister:

Played by: Britt Robertson

The book: Angie McCain is killed in one of the opening scenes of the book and then resides in Junior R... Show More »

Played by: Britt Robertson

The book: Angie McCain is killed in one of the opening scenes of the book and then resides in Junior Rennie's pantry o' love for several hundred pages. Ew.

Pre-opening chapter, Angie has accused Barbie of attacking her (after she made a pass at him and he rejected her) and Junior Rennie and his friends attack Barbie because of it.

The show: Luckily, Angie is not killed in the premiere. Unluckily, she is now being held prisoner in Junior's fallout shelter. Also, she is now Joe's older sister. The two are not related in the book. « Less

15/24

Joe McAlister:

Played by: Colin Ford

The book: Joe McClatchey is the town brainiac who eventually figures out where the dome came from. He has a h... Show More »

Played by: Colin Ford

The book: Joe McClatchey is the town brainiac who eventually figures out where the dome came from. He has a huge crush on Norrie Calvert and Benny Drake is his best bud.

The show: Joe is probably still being set up as the boy genius, but in the show, his mom is out of town (and therefore outside the dome) and Angie McCain is now Angie McAlister, his older sister. « Less

16/24

Sheriff Perkins:

Played by: Jeff Fahey

The book: Sheriff Howard "Duke" Perkins is the kindly, intelligent leader of Chester's Mill -- until t... Show More »

Played by: Jeff Fahey

The book: Sheriff Howard "Duke" Perkins is the kindly, intelligent leader of Chester's Mill -- until the dome's energy blows the pacemaker right out of his chest.

The show: We were actually hoping the show would depart from the book in this matter and keep Perkins around longer, but, unfortunately, the premiere ends with his pacemaker accident. The show has also cut out Duke's wife, Brenda -- he leaves everything to Deputy Linda in his will when he dies. « Less

17/24

Paul Randolph:

Played by: Kevin Sizemore

The book: Peter Randolph is the next in line once Sheriff Perkins is killed. But he's more or less a... Show More »

Played by: Kevin Sizemore

The book: Peter Randolph is the next in line once Sheriff Perkins is killed. But he's more or less a puppet in uniform that Big Jim Rennie can manipulate at will.

The show: We're assuming Deputy Randolph takes over once Chief Perkins dies. It remains to be seen how deep in Big Jim's pocket he really is. « Less

18/24

Big Jim Rennie:

Played by: Dean Norris

The book: Big Jim is the major antagonist of the book, the puppetmaster who wants to rule Chester's Mi... Show More »

Played by: Dean Norris

The book: Big Jim is the major antagonist of the book, the puppetmaster who wants to rule Chester's Mill with an iron fist, all the while claiming it's for the good of the town.

The show: We only get a few peeks in the premiere at the man lurking behind Big Jim's facade, but suffice to say, it looks as though the Big Jim from the book is the Big Jim in the show. « Less

19/24

Junior Rennie:

Played by: Alexander Koch

The book: Junior Rennie is plagued by migraines that turn out to be caused by a brain tumor. The headache... Show More »

Played by: Alexander Koch

The book: Junior Rennie is plagued by migraines that turn out to be caused by a brain tumor. The headaches push the already emotionally-disturbed kid over the edge, sending him on a killing spree. He also gets a little too ... friendly with the bodies of the girls he kills.

The show: Junior is clearly still emotionally disturbed, but the headaches have yet to be established. He was in a relationship with Angie McAlister and when she tried to break up with him, he locked her in the fallout shelter instead of killing her. So, the inappropriate touching of dead bodies is one storyline we think we can assume is not making its way onto primetime TV. Thankfully. « Less

20/24

Julia Shumway:

Played by: Rachelle Lefevre

The book: Julia is the town journalist, the latest in a long line of Shumways running the Chester'... Show More »

Played by: Rachelle Lefevre

The book: Julia is the town journalist, the latest in a long line of Shumways running the Chester's Mill Democrat. She's a leader against Big Jim Rennie.

The show: Julia is slightly younger than in the book (nine or so years, we think) and is married to Peter -- who is now dead, unbeknownst to Julia. She strikes up a friendship with Dale Barbara, inviting him to stay at her house instead of sleep in his car. She also doesn't know Barbie was burying her husband just hours before.

Further, she calls herself "the new editor" of The Independent, which makes us wonder how new she is to Chester's Mill. « Less

21/24

Peter Shumway:

Played by: R. Keith Harris

The book: Peter is a new creation, because in the book, Julia Shumway is not married.

The book: Peter is a new creation, because in the book, Julia Shumway is not married.

The show: Peter is Julia's (now dead) husband, who we saw Barbara burying in the woods before the dome descended. Harris is credited with appearing in several episodes, so we're assuming some explanatory flashbacks are in store. « Less

22/24

Carter Thibodeau:

Played by: Andrew Vogel

The book: Carter Thibodeau is one of the young thugs brought onto the Chester's Mill police force b... Show More »

Played by: Andrew Vogel

The book: Carter Thibodeau is one of the young thugs brought onto the Chester's Mill police force by new Sheriff Randolph (at Big Jim's insistence, of course). He's part of Sammy Bushey's rape and later shoots Andrea Grinnell at the town hall meeting.

The show: We don't yet know much about Carter on the show, but we're assuming he's still one of Junior Rennie's roving band of evildoers. And he looks so nice in this picture. « Less

23/24

Rose Twitchell:

Played by: Beth Broderick

The book: Rose Twitchell is the owner of Sweetbriar Rose, a diner in town where Dale Barbara works. She&... Show More »

Played by: Beth Broderick

The book: Rose Twitchell is the owner of Sweetbriar Rose, a diner in town where Dale Barbara works. She's a calming influence whom everyone likes.

The show: Not much is known about Rose on the show so far, except it doesn't appear as though Barbara works for her. « Less

24/24

Dodee Weaver:

Played by: Jolene Purdy

The book: Dodee Sanders is the daughter of Claudette, who dies in the plane crash, and Andy Sanders, town se... Show More »

Played by: Jolene Purdy

The book: Dodee Sanders is the daughter of Claudette, who dies in the plane crash, and Andy Sanders, town selectman. Dodee is killed by Junior Rennie pretty early on.

The show: Dodee is not killed off (which actress Purdy was was delighted to discover). She also works out at the radio station with Phil Bushey. Purdy also tells Zap2it that she knows who Dodee's mom is and she did not die in the plane crash. She doesn't yet know who her dad is, so it's looking like selectman Andy may not be in the show. « Less